Throwback Thursday - Flower

Welcome to another Throwback Thursday, our weekly look into my Top 100 games and general nostalgia.  Drifting in the breeze this week: The game with a compassionate touch and a passionate rush that is Flower.

Released on February 12th, 2009, Flower is a game that pushes the boundaries and expectations of the gaming medium by focusing on delivering an emotional experience rather than the typical thrill of a challenge.  In this game, players take control of the wind and a lone flower petal, guiding and gliding across varied landscapes among the game's six chapters.  There are no other controls to learn or master other than tilting and directing the wind as you fancy.  Coupled with these picturesque vistas and stirring orchestrations, players are naturally compelled to gather a trail of flower petals as they swoop among the scattered flowers, restoring patches of beauty to create a more idealistic world, which stands in stark contrast to the brief cut-scenes before each chapter of domestic city life and general industrialization.

Tabletop Tuesday - Gloomhaven Impressions

Welcome to another edition of Tabletop Tuesday - Your weekly exploration into games of dice, cards, luck and more of the Tabletop world.

This week's game...the game of magic spells and cursed wells that is Gloomhaven.

Players: 1-4
Time: 90-180 minutes
Genre: Strategy / Role-Playing

Falcon Punch

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Throwback Thursday - World of Goo

Welcome to another Throwback Thursday, our weekly look into my Top 100 games and general nostalgia.  Standing tall this week: The game of teetering towers growing more unstable by the hour that is World of Goo.

Released on October 13th, 2008, World of Goo is a highly acclaimed indie hit produced by 2D Boy, amazingly consisting of only two passionate developers, Ron Carmel and Kyle Gabler.  This unique puzzle game has players using goo balls to construct all sorts of towers, bridges, and other strange structures to reach a specific goal, typically the allure of a mysterious pipe.  A key component that makes these puzzles so tantalizing and thought provoking is the incredible use of physics.  Every level takes a careful consideration into how physics can and should be applied in many an interesting and creative way.  Furthermore, the game frequently introduces new types of goo and other mechanics to keep every new moment fresh and engaging.  While each level only requires a certain number of goo balls to proceed, the game encourages over-achievers to strive for the best possible solution in obtaining as many extra goo balls as possible and earning the OCD achievement for that level.  With every extra goo ball earned, players can then take them to the World of Goo Corporation to try to build the tallest tower possible and compete for world records online.  This brilliant addition not only adds significant replay value to this compelling little game, but really encourages the drive for experimentation and a deeper understanding for various architecture and their limitations to physics.

Tabletop Tuesday - More Standard Playing Card Deck Games

Welcome to another edition of Tabletop Tuesday - Your weekly exploration into games of dice, cards, luck and more of the Tabletop world.

With summer on the near horizon, we're continuing our look at the versatile and affordable gaming device: The standard 52 playing card deck.  This week's games: Secret Agent, War, and Oh Hell.

Players: 2+
Time: 10+ minutes
Genre: Casual Card Games

Monkey Business

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By Design: Making an Impression with Title Screens

As an aspiring game designer, it's important to take note of every component of a game and consider how it can be best executed to make a meaningful and lasting impression.  So where better to begin than with the first thing any player sees when they boot up a new game: The title screen.  Too often, these are subjugated to little more than simple text menus to start and load games with some unmemorable cursor or cartoon hand that points at the available options for selection.  But they have the potential to be so much more.  Title screens can make a powerful first impression into the experience a player is about to embark.  What more, they have the potential to create an imprinted emotion directly correlating to the game itself, as this will be a screen players will visit again and again each time they boot up the game, and even possibly when the credits finish rolling.  So what are some of the creative means in which title screens can be expressed and implemented?  And what types of title screens are best suited for the intended experience?  With these questions in mind, join us in the following design discussion as we take some time to dive into the many types of title screens found in the world of games.

Title screen from Xenoblade Chronicles.

Golf Story Review

Genre: Golf RPG
Players: 1-2
Playtime: 20 hours (Includes beating the game at Level 35, completing most every side mission and finding most every secret.  Also tried a bit of multiplayer)


Golf Story is a surprise hit to the Nintendo Switch indie scene, as the first game to debut from new developers Sidebar Games, a surprisingly only 2-person development team.  Inspired by the likes of other classics like Mario Golf for the Game Boy Color, this game sets out to capture the simple joys of golf combined with rich and delightfully silly storytelling.  So how does this game fare on the green?  Get ready to tee up as we assess the positive and negative clubs in our arsenal, and hope we don't hook our swing.

Throwback Thursday - Paper Mario

Welcome to another Throwback Thursday, our weekly look into my Top 100 games and general nostalgia.  Joining the fold this week: The game of sleepy sheep and penguin murder mysteries that is Paper Mario.

Released in the US on February 5th, 2001, Paper Mario was a new Mario RPG game developed for the N64, in which it presented a very striking visual style with all the characters and many other assets constructed in flat, paper-like graphics.  And the game is not afraid to poke fun of this fact in the form of many delightful puns and clever animations.  In this adventure, Bowser steals Peach's entire castle through use of a Star Rod that grants the holder any wish.  Our paper-thin hero, Mario, is then tasked to save the seven star spirits who once guarded this powerful relic and restore the Mushroom Kingdom with the hope of wishes coming true once more.  Throughout this journey, Mario befriends many a variety of characters from the Mario universe, who join as allies to assist both in battle and traversing the over-world.  It's a neat and memorable aspect of this game as you partner with the unlikeliest of characters, from a Goomba who is Mario's biggest fan to an elegant Boo with a bit of an ego.  Each partner is so distinct in personality and attributes that make them each incredibly endearing components of a very classic-feeling and memorable adventure.

Tabletop Tuesday - Standard Playing Card Deck Games

Welcome to another edition of Tabletop Tuesday - Your weekly exploration into games of dice, cards, luck and more of the Tabletop world.

With summer on the near horizon, and with it likely visits to your favorite watering holes, be it the pool, beach or other dives, I thought it be fitting to showcase a variety of games played with your handy go-to: The standard 52 playing card deck.  This week's games, a few of my favorites: Spit, Cheat, and Egyptian Rat Screw.

Players: 2+
Time: 10-20 minutes
Genre: Casual Card Games

Happy Mother's Day!!

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One Month Until E3 2018 - Top 5 Anticipations (And More!)

Are you too feeling the E3 fever folks?  Well hang in there, because amazingly enough there's only one month left until E3 2018 is upon us!  Now while my Top 5 E3 2017 anticipations may not have been as on the mark as I'd hope (funnily enough my least likely prediction was one of the few to actually occur), that won't stop me from holding back my anticipation again of this fervent excitement!  With that said, I'll still try to apply considered reasoning and thought with each claim, so join in as I share my personal Top 5 Anticipations for E3 2018:

-1- Borderlands (Likelihood - 70%)

The Borderlands series has been a breakout hit for Gearbox with its quirky sense of humor and addicting mix of FPS and Diablo-eqsue loot-hoarding gameplay.  It's been 5 years since the release of Borderlands 2, and just last year, the good folks at Gearbox presented a tech demo for what could theoretically be the next Borderlands using the Unreal Engine 4.  Also based on a recent Take-Two investor call, the CEO made mention that a "highly anticipated new title from 2K's biggest franchies" is in development for the 2019 fiscal year.  So it seems likely that the next entry in the series will see release sometime between late 2018 to some time in 2019.  And if it should be ready to release in 2018, E3 would be a fitting stage to start building the hype.  Unfortunately, it seems some key writers and voice actors may no longer be a part of the crew at Gearbox, so cross your fingers if Borderlands 3 is coming that the humor and writing stay on point.  At least we'll know it should look gorgeous if that GDC presentation is any indication.

Mechromancer class from Borderlands 2 DLC.

Throwback Thursday - The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

Welcome to another Throwback Thursday, our weekly look into my Top 100 games and general nostalgia.  Forging forth on adventure this week: The game of chatty hats that is The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap.

Released in the US on January 10th, 2005, The Minish Cap represents another shining example of what can be achieved when two brilliant studios put their collective and imaginative heads together.  After the successful release of The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages for Game Boy Color, Capcom and Nintendo began work on another new Zelda entry together, this time for the GBA.  The game follows the exploits of our traditionally sleepy hero, Link, as he seeks the help of the Picori, a race of magical tiny creatures, to stop the evil wizard, Vaati.  On his adventure, he befriends Ezlo, a cursed green bird, who joins Link's adventure and fills in as his timeless green cap and trusted adviser.  Together, Link can now shrink down to the size of the Minish (aka Picori) and explore the many complex small worlds that hide in plain sight to restore power to the once fabled Four Sword and once again save the kingdom of Hyrule.

Tabletop Tuesday - Stratego

Welcome to another edition of Tabletop Tuesday - Your weekly exploration into games of dice, cards, luck and more of the Tabletop world.

This week's game...the game of hidden ranks to outflank that is the classic Stratego.

Players: 2
Time: 45-90 minutes
Genre: Strategy

Bidoof

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F-Zero x Hero Academia

The heroic idol that is All Might from Hero Academia.

Super hero TV anime show, Hero Academia, is due to premiere on Adult Swim tonight.  I've recently just watched through the first season on Hulu and have been thoroughly enjoying this show's inspiring take on the growth and journey to follow one's dreams and become a hero.  One character in particular, the greatest hero of all time and symbol of justice that is All Might, gives me strong impressions of Nintendo's own F-Zero racer, Captain Falcon.  With their confident smile and exuberance of flashiness, I felt compelled to combine these two universes in some way.  So taking the animation clips from Hero Academia's intro and credit scenes, and combining them to F-Zero GX of Captain Falcon's theme, the result is better than I could have imagined.  Enjoy this mashup of heroes and dreams, and check out Hero Academia if you have the means or chance to.

Animation from Hero Academia intros / credits, seasons 1-3
Music from F-Zero GX (Captain Falcon's Theme)
Composer(s): Hidenori Shoji, Daiki Kasho

Throwback Thursday - Shadow of the Colossus

Welcome to another Throwback Thursday, our weekly look into my Top 100 games and general nostalgia.  Towering over the horizon this week:  The game of sword and bow to take down colossal foes that is Shadow of the Colossus.

Released in the US on October 18th, 2005, Shadow of the Colossus was the second game to be developed by Japan Studio's Team Ico, creators of the cult hit, action-adventure game Ico, to which this game is considered a spiritual successor.  Much like its predecessor, the game shines as a work of art due to its refined simplicity in gameplay mechanics and design, which makes for an experience so easy to become immersed in and helps to exemplify the awe-inspiring wonder of these giant beings.  Equipped with only a sword, bow, and trusty steed, players are tasked with hunting and striking down 16 scattered colossi hidden away in a forbidden land.  In doing so, you are told you will be able to restore the life of your lost love.  You'll notice right from the start there these forbidden grounds are rather barren and void of any towns or general life to interact with.  The hunt for colossi is often a quiet march of nervous anticipation and regret of the life you are directly removing from this land.  And then the wickedly foreboding soundtrack will pick up as you approach your target's destination, as you question to yourself how in the world you are to take down such a daunting and intimidating beast whom you dwarf in comparison.

Tabletop Tuesday - Pictionary

Welcome to another edition of Tabletop Tuesday - Your weekly exploration into games of dice, cards, luck and more of the Tabletop world.

This week's game...the game of quick sketches and picturesque messes that is Pictionary.

Players: 4+
Time: 45-90 minutes
Genre: Social / Party Game